Courses - Spring 2025
SOCY100
Introduction to Sociology
Introduces fundamental concepts and theories of sociology. Guided by C. Wright Mills' "sociological imagination," the course promotes critical thinking; challenges conventional assumptions about culture politics, history, and psychology; and equips students with theoretical approaches and research methods to analyze various sociological topics, including family, work, education, religion, social movements, and issues related to class, gender, race, and ethnic inequalities.
SOCY105
Understanding Contemporary Social Problems - Frameworks for Critical Thinking and Strategies for Solutions
Embark on an exploration of contemporary social issues and unravel the intricate ways in which these challenges are woven into the fabric of society. Develop a comprehensive understanding of societal organization and partake in a detailed study of selected social problems, with a specific emphasis on issues like social conflict and inequality. This course provides an insightful journey into the nuanced interplay between societal structure and prevalent challenges, fostering a heightened awareness of the dynamics shaping our social landscape.
SOCY200
Innovation, Exploration and the Evolution of Human Societies
We will explore the nature of human societies through comparative, historical, and interdisciplinary perspectives. Students will delve into the core of social structures, unravel the defining components of society, and examine their organization, evolution, and impact on collective existence. Students will also explore the socio-historical forces and geopolitical dynamics that drive social change to analyze the complex connections that illuminate our shared social experience across time.
SOCY201
Introductory Statistics for Sociology
Prerequisite: SOCY100; and (MATH107 or MATH111).
Restriction: Must not have completed STAT400, BMGT231, or ENEE324.
Students will explore descriptive and inferential statistics. You will hone your quantitative analytical skills to construct impactful bivariate tables, craft frequency distributions, and decipher measures of central tendency and dispersion. Additionally, you will master the techniques of hypothesis testing, chi-square, ANOVA, and ordinary least squares regression, equipping you to seamlessly translate data into meaningful research insights.
SOCY202
Introduction to Research Methods in Sociology
Prerequisite: SOCY100.
We will examine why social research is needed, explore some of the main quantitative and qualitative techniques to conduct sociological research, and discover how to understand and critically evaluate sociological research on pressing social problems. Students will also learn to use specialized software to analyze and interpret quantitative data in the computer lab.
SOCY203
Sociological Theory
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: SOCY100.
Examines major trends in the history and development of sociological thought, including theories of inequality, the self, institutions, and more. With each theorist students will learn what sociologists assume and focus on when studying societies.
Required for all SOCY majors.
SOCY224
Explore and discuss the major debates and assumptions that construct perceptions of race and how it matters. Sociological and social science theories will give students a historical and present day frame with which to view race and ethnic relations in the twenty-first century.
SOCY225
Women's Jobs, Men's Jobs: How and Why Do They Differ?
An exploration of critical issues pertaining to gender differences in the workplace. Overview of theories explaining why some people do better than others in the world of work, and discussions of more specific questions relating to women's and men's job opportunities and experiences.
SOCY227
Introduction to the Study of Deviance
Credit only granted for: SOCY227 or SOCY327.
Formerly: SOCY327.
An introduction to the sociological study of deviant behavior, covering such topics as mental illness, sexual deviance, and the use of drugs.
SOCY230
Sociological Social Psychology
Why do people do that? Sitting at the nexus of sociology and psychology, this course surveys the various ways in which sociologists have answered this question. We investigate individuals-for example, how they develop and understand themselves in relation to others, how they choose to present themselves to the world, and how they form thoughts and opinions. And we study larger units of analyses, from small groups to the broader society. Topics covered include socialization, identity formation, social influence, group processes, how social processes shape individual behavior, and how human behavior shapes society.
SOCY241
Credit only granted for: SOCY241 or SOCY441.
A broad-based overview of inequality in contemporary U.S. society, focusing on measuring patterns and trends over time. A series of learning modules familiarizes students with how inequality unfolds in relation to social stratification processes along the lines of race, gender, education and social class, income and wealth, and health.
Credit granted for SOCY241 or SOCY441.
SOCY245
The Family in Contemporary American Society
Credit only granted for: SOCY243 or SOCY245.
This is a course in the sociology of the family as an institutional arena in the United States. Students will become familiar with the empirical patterns and trends, political and cultural debates, and policy issues concerning families - and the major theories and research methods used in the sociological study of the family. The readings include a textbook and a research monograph. To succeed, students will attend lectures and participate in discussion; complete quizzes and in-class writing assignments; and take a midterm and final exam.
SOCY298E
Selected Topics in Sociology; Black Cultural Activism in Israel
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with ISRL249A and AASP298J. Credit only granted for ISRL249A, AASP298J, or SOCY298E.
This course explores cultural activism in Israel. Students will examine the struggles and power relations that exist in Israeli society, as expressed through the worlds of Israeli culture and arts with an emphasis on art, literature, music, theater, and cinema created by Ethiopian Israeli creators and activists who seek to advance socio-political change.
This course explores cultural activism in Israel. Students will examine the struggles and power relations that exist in Israeli society, as expressed through the worlds of Israeli culture and arts with an emphasis on art, literature, music, theater, and cinema created by Ethiopian Israeli creators and activists who seek to advance socio-political change.
SOCY335
Sociology of Health and Illness
An exploration of the social model to studying health and illness: how meanings and experiences of health and illness are socially produced. How experiences are shaped by the interaction of external social environments (culture, community) and the internal environment (human body), and by socio-demographic variables (race, class, gender, etc.). Disparities in health and healthcare delivery, medicalization of society, determinants of health, social construction of illness, and the social organization of health care.
SOCY340
What is the relationship between globalization and inequality? This course examines the factors shaping both between-nation and within-nation household income inequality for the past century. It is divided into four parts, each considering a different factor. First we seek to understand global trade historically. Second, we examine the more recent phenomenon of outsourcing. Third, we examine welfare and taxation policy and its role in shaping domestic inequality. Finally, we analyze the mechanisms for the accumulation of capital within global finance. By the end of the course, students will be able to discuss globalization beyond the "is it good or bad" binary and understand the complex interaction between domestic politics and international trade.
SOCY370
Career Exploration and Professional Development for Sociology Majors
Credits:
1
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Restriction: Must be in the Sociology major.
Prepares Sociology majors to make the transition from undergraduate to entering graduate school and/or the professional work world. Topics include career options in Sociology, skills for conducting a job search, resume writing and interview preparation, and the graduate application process.
Restricted to Sociology Majors.
SOCY378
Undergraduate Teaching Assistantship
Credits:
1 - 3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
SOCY380
Honors Independent Reading in Sociology
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Restriction: Permission of BSOS-Sociology department.
This course permits sociology honor students to undertake a program or reading on a particular problem in sociology or a subfield therein. The reading will be done under the supervision of a member of the sociology faculty. Required of sociology honor students.
SOCY381
Honors Independent Research in Sociology
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: SOCY380.
This course permits sociology students to define a particular problem in sociology or a subfield therein and to develop a research plan for use as a thesis topic. The work will be done under the supervision of a member of the sociology faculty.
SOCY383
Honors Thesis Research
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: SOCY381.
Student research under the direction of a member of the sociology faculty, culminating in the presentation and defense of a thesis reporting the research.
SOCY386
Experiential Learning
Credits:
3 - 6
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F
Restriction: Permission of BSOS-Sociology department; and junior standing or higher.
To register, students must have departmental permission form signed by instructor and by Coordinator of Sociology Undergraduate Program.
SOCY398A
Special Topics in Sociology; Methods for Health Survey Research
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
SOCY399
Independent Study in Sociology
Credits:
1 - 6
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
No more than 6 hours of 399 is allowed for credit.
SOCY407
Explaining Social Change: Fact and Fiction in Understanding Why Our World Looks the Way it Does
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: 6 credits in SOCY courses or permission of Sociology Department.
Credit only granted for: SOCY498Y or SOCY407.
Formerly: SOCY498Y.
Examines large-scale processes of social change that have produced durable and defining aspects of our contemporary world and asks, How did we get here? It focuses on four key issues: how markets and the pursuit of profit came to organize virtually all aspects of material life and restructured societies around social classes; how democratic forms of governance emerged to direct states and the persistent challenges presented by authoritarian rule; how social revolution erupts and what kinds of changes it yields; and how warfare between states can produce varieties of change not necessarily comprehended in the foregoing domains.
SOCY411
Demographic Techniques
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: (SOCY201; or students who have taken courses with comparable content may contact the department); and SOCY410. Or permission of BSOS-Sociology department.
Basic techniques for analyzing population structure and demographic processes, including fertility, mortality and migration.
SOCY424
Sociology of Race Relations
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: 6 credits in SOCY courses; or permission of the Sociology department.
Cross-listed with: AAST424.
Credit only granted for: SOCY424 or AAST424.
Encourages sociological thinking about US racial and ethnic minority populations, with a focus on African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, and Native Americans. The central concern is to understand and explain racial/ethnic inequality. A wide array of topics are discussed, including prejudice and discrimination, slavery, residential segregation, cultural inequality, skin tone stratification, economic and educational disparities, and assimilation/generational processes.
SOCY432
Social Movements
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: 6 credits in SOCY courses; or permission of BSOS-Sociology department.
This course broadens students' understanding of social movements in the United States. Many topics are discussed, including the emergence of social movements, why people join social movements, collective identity, gender, culture, emotions, tactics, repression, and the decline of social movements. Various movements are reviewed, including the civil rights movement, the Chicano movement, the women's movement, the LGBTQ movement, the white power movement, the American Indian movement, and the animal rights movement.
SOCY435
Society, Biology, and Health
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: Must have completed 6 credits in SOCY courses or permission of BSOS Sociology Department.
It is not too far-fetched to speak of the pancreas under capitalism or the proletarian lung. Humans are social beings in physical bodies. In this course, we draw on research studies, podcasts, news articles, and best-selling non-fiction to inform conversation and writing on how various dimensions of human biology influence, and are influenced by, our social and cultural environment. We focus on conceptualizing human behavior as an interplay between both nature and nurture, and consider how this approach changes our understanding of modern social problems. This course is appropriate for students with a range of backgrounds in the social and natural sciences; introductory-level supplemental readings on all necessary biological concepts will be provided.
This is a seminar-style, discussion-based course.
SOCY450
Investigating Women's Empowerment in Low and Middle Income Countries
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: SOCY201 and SOCY202; or permission of BSOS-Sociology department.
Students in this course will learn how the study of women's empowerment in low and middle income countries (LMICs) has developed, its current state of measurement, and new avenues to pursue in the future. Examining the extensive research on gender-based inequalities in educational attainment, employment rates, and health status, students will investigate how power imbalances across individuals, households, and institutional factors result in persistent inequality. Bringing an intersectional perspective to the forefront of the course, we will study how to design effective intervention policies that seek to improve the daily lives of women, girls and their families.
SOCY451
Sociology of Culture
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: 6 credits in SOCY courses; or permission of the department.
Credit only granted for: SOCY498C or SOCY451.
Formerly: SOCY498C.
Analyzes the relationship between society and culture. How do social forces affect cultural objects and products? How do values and meanings shape individual behavior? How can culture be both a source of domination and resistance? These and other topics will be analyzed to show the role of culture in our lives.
SOCY463
Sociology of Masculinity: How Much Has Masculinity Really Changed?
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: 6 credits in SOCY courses; or permission of BSOS Sociology department.
An examination of the history both feminist social movements and feminist sociology in a specific way. It uses the sociological subfield of men and masculinities as a keyhole through which we will study 'the stalled revolution' for women's equality. Along the way, we will familiarize ourselves with academic and popular reports about changing and contested definitions, ideas, and behaviors of masculinity.
SOCY467
Sociology of Education
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: 6 credits in SOCY courses; or permission of BSOS-Sociology department.
Sociological analysis of educational institutions and their relation to society: goals and functions, the mechanisms of social control, and the impacts of stratification and social change. Study of the school as a formal organization, and the roles and subcultures of teachers and students.
SOCY602
Statistics For Sociological Research II
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
Prerequisite: SOCY601; or students who have taken courses with comparable content may contact the department.
Restriction: Permission of instructor.
Credit only granted for: SOCY602 or SURV602.
This course introduces regression analysis using matrix algebra. Topics include bivariate regression, multivariate regression, tests of significance, regression diagnostics, indicator variables, interaction terms, extra sum of squares, and the general linear model. Other topics may be addressed such as logistic regression and path analysis. Statistical programming software may be used.
SOCY613
Social Movement Theory
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
Credit only granted for: SOCY699R or SOCY613.
Formerly: SOCY699R.
The objective of this course is to introduce students to the field of social movements, with an emphasis on understanding theoretical tools within the field. To accomplish this, students will review theories on social movements including Karl Marx, breakdown approaches, resource mobilization and political process theory, dramaturgy, and new social movement theory. Students will also devote considerable attention to core concepts in the field, including social networks, political opportunity structure, repression, framing, collective identity, and movement outcomes.
SOCY634
Attitudes and Public Opinion
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud, S-F
Processes involved in the formation of attitudes; effects of communication; measurement techniques.
SOCY641
Leadership in Diverse Organizations
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
Restriction: Must be in one of the following programs: Criminology and Criminal Justice (Master's); Criminology and Criminal Justice (Doctoral); Sociology (Master's); Sociology (Doctoral); or permission from either the Sociology Department or Criminology & Criminal Justice Department.
Provides students with a practical understanding of leadership and a framework for understanding three key conditions from which effective leadership emerges: timing, organizational characteristics, and individual characteristics. We will consider different dimensions and/or styles of leadership, as well as the methods effective leaders use to build solidarity within groups and organizations.
SOCY643
Power and Status in Organizations
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
Restriction: Must be in one of the following programs: Criminology and Criminal Justice (Master's); Criminology and Criminal Justice (Doctoral); Sociology (Master's); Sociology (Doctoral); or permission from BSOS-Sociology department.
Organizations affect virtually every aspect of modern social life. The impact and reach of public safety organizations--those special entities purportedly designed to maintain order and safety--are particularly influential. Although sociologists, psychologists, economists, and management scholars all examine the workings of status and power within organizations, our perspective will be primarily sociological as we explore how power and status operate within the context of organizations.
SOCY644
Gender, Work, and Family
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud, S-F
The interrelationships among gender, work, and family in contemporary societies. Major research issues addressed from an interdisciplinary and comparative (international) perspective.
SOCY656
Intersectionality and Population Health Disparities
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
An intersectional examination of population health disparities.
SOCY699
Special Social Problems
Credits:
1 - 16
Grad Meth:
Reg
SOCY699M
Special Social Problems; Pro-Seminar for BA/MA Students
Credits:
1 - 16
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud, S-F
SOCY699N
Special Social Problems; Intermediate Sociological Statistics
Credits:
1
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
SOCY789
Advanced Special Topics in Social Stratification; Race and Ethnicity
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud, S-F
SOCY799
Master's Thesis Research
Credits:
1 - 6
Grad Meth:
S-F
SOCY898
Pre-Candidacy Research
Credits:
1 - 8
Grad Meth:
Reg
SOCY899
Doctoral Dissertation Research
Credits:
6
Grad Meth:
S-F
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